Dear Parents and Carers

I am delighted to share our Summer Newsletter, which you will find a little further into this email. As the school year draws to a close, please take a moment or two to read the following information. Thank you.

ParentPay

• Please can you check your ParentPay account, and ensure you do not owe any money by the end of this term?
• Many thanks to those of you who check your account on a regular basis, as it is always easier to keep it in credit this way.

School meals and water

• In September 2023, we are going to increase our focus on healthy eating, as we are proud to have the Healthy Schools Awards.
• In order to continue to offer these healthy options and only buy the best ingredients, we have had to increase some of our prices. These price rises are relatively small with the biggest increase being just 20p (a meal deal was £2.20 and from September, it will be £2.40).
• We are confident that the food we offer the students is still great value for money.
• Our prices have not increased since 2019. This is because the school has tried to absorb the increased costs as much as possible; we have done this since prices increased at the start of the pandemic in 2020.
• We will continue to offer every student a free breakfast from 8am until 8.30am. They can choose a bagel or some cereal, plus a free hot chocolate.
• We urge you to encourage your child to bring a refillable water bottle to school, as there are fountains dotted around the school, and it is free!

Free School Meals (FSM)

• If you think your child may be eligible for FSM, we have application forms in the School Office. This link will help you to see if you are eligible to apply.
• Please note, if your child is entitled to FSM, the daily limit from September is £2.40. If they exceed this amount, you will be expected to top up their ParentPay account.
• If you would like your child capped at the £2.40 so that they can’t spend more than this, please let us know by emailing accounts@hartonacademy.co.uk
• FSM will entitle your child to food up to the value of £2.40, and a very good option is the meal deal: a full hot meal and a dessert (we have water fountains), or a full hot meal and a drink.

Lunchtime passes for children in Years 7-9

• As you know, children in these year groups are not permitted to leave the school premises at lunchtimes, and we urge all students to remain onsite to benefit from the reasonably-priced lunches and the extra-curricular opportunities we offer.
• Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 are only allowed to leave the school premises at lunch-time due to ‘exceptional circumstances’. If there are ‘exceptional circumstances’, then parents/carers have been asked to contact the Head of Year, via e-mail, from September and thereafter if appropriate.
• We recommend you wait a few weeks into the new school year, to encourage your child to remain onsite.
• The Head of Year will consider any ‘application’. If your child is allowed to go home for their lunch, then the Head of Year will arrange for a lunchtime pass to be printed. Please note that there will be a charge of £2:00 for lost passes.
  Medical appointments
• We appreciate that your child may need to attend the occasional medical appointment.
• If they do, we ask that you try to arrange for these outside of school times. However, we appreciate that this is often not possible, and just ask that your child bring evidence of the appointment with them, so that an exeat to leave the site can be offered.

Uniform

• We are incredibly proud of our school uniform and the way in which our students wear it; they look incredibly smart. Please do remember the rules around the uniform, including that no boots of any description are permitted from September.

Monday 4 September is a staff training day, with essential safeguarding training for all staff. Therefore, no staff will be contactable on this day, and the school office will be unavailable from 10.45am.

The school will re-open for nearly all* of the students on Tuesday 5 September

• Year 7: 8.30 a.m. arrival. Students will go straight to the main hall for an assembly;
• Years 8, 9, 10 & 11: 9.55 a.m. arrival. All students should go straight to their tutor rooms;
• Year 12: 9.30 a.m. arrival. Students will go straight to the lecture theatre for an assembly;
• Year 13: 8.30 a.m. arrival *on Wednesday 6 September. Students will go straight to the lecture theatre for an assembly.

The Summer Newsletter

Please take a look at ! It is a wonderful summary of our last term, and has some useful information for you all for next year.

In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to bid farewell to our Executive Headteacher, Sir Ken Gibson, who has been an ever-presence at Harton for the past 40 years. His dedication to our students, our families and the community is an example of public service at its very best. The school has been led by Sir Ken for the past 20 years, and we are delighted that he will continue to work with us as the CEO of the Illuminare Multi-Academy Trust, of which Harton is a part. He leaves us with our very best wishes for the future.

I hope you all have a wonderful summer and some quality time with your loved ones.

With every good wish.

Mr D. R. Amos
Acting Head Teacher